In an approximate way, light is both a particle and a wave. But in an exact representation, light is neither a particle nor a wave, but is something more complex. As a metaphor, consider a cylindrical can of beans. If you hold the can sideways, force a friend to only look at its shadow, and ask him what shape the object has, he will respond "rectangular". But now turn the can ninety degrees, have a second friend look at just the shadow, and he will tell you the can is "circular". Now have your two friends debate each other about the true shape and they will not make much progress. Which one is right? They are both right in away and both wrong in a way. A cylinder is circular as seen from one angle, and rectangular from another angle, but in reality it is much more than a circle plus a rectangle. It is something more complex: a three-dimensional shape that can't be fully described through two-dimensional shapes such as circles and rectangles